SUPERFLEX

Flooded McDonalds 2008

SUPERFLEX is a collaboration between Danish artists Bjørnstjerne Reuter Christiansen, Jakob Fenger and Rasmus Nielsen. Their practice is characterised by a high level of social engagement and has responded to a broad range of contemporary political and social themes, including the financial markets, labour conditions, copyright issues, and environmentalism. Their working process often involves professionals from non-art disciplines contributing to the development of projects that the artists describe as ‘tools’ in both a practical, use-value or consciousness-raising sense, as well as having a conceptual or metaphorical dimension.

As its title suggests, Flooded McDonalds portrays an abandoned burger bar which, over the course of the 20 minutes, fills up with water. Furniture, food, packaging and the statue of Ronald are lifted up by the deluge; electrical lights and cash registers short circuit until, ultimately, the entire space is submerged. The cinematography appears to borrow equally from Hollywood and media coverage of natural disasters (notably Hurricane Katrina in the United States and the 2004 Tsunami in Asia), and exploits the viewer’s fascination with images of catastrophe and destruction. As Rasmus Nielsen has commented, 'Flooded McDonalds is an epic and dark story, with mythological, apocalyptic and biblical references, but we wanted to make it as subtle as possible. It’s a slow narrative of the destructive process, which we read and hear from the media every day'.